CONTENTS 


Introductory         -         -  .• 

The  Human  Side  of  Twine 
The  History  of  Binder  Twine    - 
Sisal  Fibre      -         - 
Manila  Fibre       .... 
A  Few  Facts  About  Twine  - 
A  Day  in  a  Twine  Mill     -.    .    .•. 


PAGE 

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Copyrighted  1912 
By  the 

INTERNATIONAL   HARVESTER   COMPANY   OF  AMERICA 
,  »  (Incorporated) 


Distributed  by 
I  H  C  SERVICE  BUREAU 


Harvester  Building 
8.  R  727B 


Chicago 


INTRODUCTORY 


More  than  150,000  tons  of  twine  are  required  annually 
to  bind  the  grain  crops  of  the  world. 

Sisal  Fibre,  from  which  sisal  and  standard  twines  are 
made,  is  grown  in  Yucatan,  Mexico,  where  it  is  carefully 
cultivated  by  up-to-date  plantation  owners.  Modern  ma- 
chines are  used  to  remove  the  fibre  from  the  leaves  and 
every  effort  is  made  to  retain  the  smoothness  and  strength 
of  the  natural  fibre. 

Manila  Fibre  is  grown  in  the  Philippine  Islands;  the 
fibre  has  a  lustrous  sheen,  somewhat  similar  to  wheat 
straw.  The  lower  the  grade,  the  darker  the  color  When 
manufactured  into  twine,  the  oil  that  is  added  gives  a 
slightly  darker  tint. 

The  manufacturers  of  twine  maintain  a  corps  of  expert 
inspectors  in  the  field  and  a  second  corps  in  the  mills, 
where  the  twines  are  made,  and  in  this  way  the 
inferior  fibre  is  detected  and  thrown  out.  During  the 
busy  rush  of  harvest  it  is  very  important  that  the  twine 
shall  neither  knot  nor  break  in  the  field,  and  that  it 
be  full  length  and  have  uniform  tensile  strength. 


281906 


6  ; ;.-  THE'. HUMAN  SIDE  OF  TWINE 

When  we  drive  hbme  from*  the  implement  dealer  with  our  little 
load  of  sisal  twine  for  the  coming  harvest,  we  do  not  often  realize 
that  we  are  giving  that  twine  its  final  lift  on  the  journey  of  many  thou- 
sands of  miles  which  it  has  taken  months  to  make.  Seldom  do  we 
appreciate  when  we  give  it  its  final  resting  place  in  the  twine  can, 
that  the  first  hands  which  touched  it  were  those  of  a  Maya  boy  or 
girl  in  far-off  tropical  Yucatan — Yucatan  whose  inhabitants  were  a 
great  civilized  people  with  temples  and  literature,  centuries  before 
Columbus  came  ashore  in  his  red  velvet  suit. 

Or,  if  it  is  manila  twine,  the  first  step  in  its  long  pilgrimage  was 
under  the  guidance  of  a  bare-footed,  brown-skinned  little  Filipino, 
who  perhaps  never  heard  of  a  binder,  and  whose  agricultural  imple- 
ments are  a  pointed  stone  or  a  crooked  stick. 

Yet,  if  it  were  not  for  the  industry  of  those  two  widely  separated 
nations,  the  farmers  of  this  rich  country  would  still  be  obliged  to  bind 
their  grain  with  old-fashioned  wire.  In  fact,  the  problem  of  twine 
was  the  problem  of  successful  binding  for  years  after  the  self-binder 
was  an  established  fact. 

It  took  many  years  and  thousands  of  dollars  to  eliminate  this 
primary  drawback  to  the  early  grain  growers  of  the  country.  One 
manufacturer  alone  spent  $15,000  trying  to  make  twine  out  of  grass, 
$35,000  using  paper  as  a  substitute,  and  $43,000  on  straw, —  all  in  the 
end  to  be  discarded  as  unsatisfactory.  Then,  after  searching  the 
world  with  a  close-tooth  rake,  as  it  were,  it  was  found  that  two  fibres 
could  be  made  to  do  the  work  —  manila  and  sisal.  The  manila  — 
long,  soft  and  even — had  generally  been  used  in  multiple  strands  for 
making  cable  and  cordage;  while  the  sisal  —  strong,  pliable  and 
smooth — was  found  to  lend  itself  perfectly  to  the  manufacture  of  a 
single-strand  cord,  such  as  the  self-binder  necessitated. 

Then  commenced  a  merry  struggle  between  the  distant  races  for 
the  honor  of  supplying  the  twine  which  was  to  make  His  Majesty,  the 
American  farmer,  the  greatest  food  producer  in  the  world.  At  first, 
owing  to  the  established  position  of  the  manila  hemp  trade  caused  by 
the  cordage  industry,  the  little  brown  brother  in  the  Philippines  forged 
ahead,  but  he  made  no  progress  in  his  methods  of  production,  using 
the  knife  and  block  and  other  simple  methods  followed  by  his  primi- 

2 


tive  forefathers  in  extracting  the  fibre.  It  was  soon  seen  that  sisal 
would  either  be  the  ultimate  material  to  supply  this  demand  or  the 
demand  would  not  be  filled.  At  this  point  in  the  race  a  number  of 
clever,  aggressive  Yucatecans,  educated  in  the  sciences  in  this  country 
and  abroad,  sprang  into  the  game.  They  saw  the  future  commercial 
possibilities  of  the  neglected  sisal  plant.  At  their  own  expense  they 
built  railroads  into  the  arid,  dry  territories  where  henequen  grew. 
They  invented  new  machines,  capable  of  cleaning  1 00,000  leaves  a 
day,  and  soon  began  to  compete  on  an  equal  basis  with  the  manila 
fibre. 

The  Spanish-American  war  temporarily  advanced  the  price  of 
manila  fibre  to  such  an  extent  that  good  grades  of  manila  fibre  com- 
manded a  price  which  was  practically  prohibitive  for  binder  twine. 
Therefore,  manufacturers  of  binder  twine  concentrated  their  energy 
and  genius  in  the  production  of  a  perfect  binder  twine  from  sisal. 
This  required  some  adjustment  of  machinery  and  some  change  in 
methods,  but  manufacturers  of  twine  succeeded  so  that  the  twine 
made  from  sisal  has  for  some  years  been  as  perfect  and  satisfactory 
as  any  binder  twine  ever  made  from  any  material.  This  has  resulted 
in  the  increased  use  of  sisal,  until  during  the  past  season  a  large  per 
cent  of  the  material  which  was  used  in  the  manufacture  of  binder 
twine  in  the  United  States  was  sisal  fibre. 

More  than  $20,000,000  is  spent  yearly  in  the  purchase  of  sisal 
and  manila  fibres  which  are  imported  from  Yucatan  and  the  Philip- 
pine Islands.  In  an  effort  to  find  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  these 
tropical  fibres,  the  International  Harvester  Company  expended 
more  than  $  1 ,000,000  experimenting  with  home  grown  flax.  The 
experimental  work  was  successful,  and  a  twine  was  produced  which 
was  satisfactory  in  every  way  except  that  crickets  and  grasshoppers 
ate  it,  causing  the  bundles  to  fall  open  in  the  field.  Experiments 
extending  over  a  period  of  several  years  have  failed  to  find  any 
treatment  to  which  the  twine  could  be  subjected  to  make  it 
immune  from  the  attacks  of  insects,  and  twine  manufacturers  are 
compelled  to  continue  the  importation  of  sisal  and  manila  fibres. 


A  Field  of  Sisal 


Manila  Plants 
4 


THE  HISTORY  OF  BINDER  TWINE 

Binder  twine  as  a  staple  article  of  commerce  had  its  beginning  in 
the  year  1 880.  Experiments  with  machines  which  bound  grain  with 
twine  began  several  years  prior  to  1880,  and  in  1879  a  few  twine 
binders  were  successfully  operated.  From  the  beginning  of  these 
experiments,  twines  of  various  kinds  were  utilized,  principally  consisting 
of  small  cords  composed  of  two  or  more  strands  and  made  from  Ken- 
tucky and  other  soft  fibres.  Those  engaged  in  the  development  of  the 
twine  binder  early  recognized  the  difficulty  of  securing  binder  twine  of 
proper  quality.  Naturally  the  first  experiments  were  made  with  types 
of  twine  and  cord  then  in  use,  and  as  the  work  progressed  the  experts 
discovered  that  twine,  in  order  to  bind  grain  successfully,  must  possess 
some  qualifications  in  addition  to  strength  and  uniformity  of  size.  In 
order  to  work  well  on  the  knotter,  the  twine  must  possess  a  firmness 
or  coarseness  in  order  to  strip  from  the  hook  after  the  knot  is  formed. 
It  frequently  developed  that  a  very  soft  twine  which  was  strong 
enough  to  do  the  work  would  cling  to  the  knotter  hook  so  tenaciously 
that  when  the  bundle  was  discharged  the  twine  would  break  instead 
of  stripping  off  the  hook.  Another  important  qualification  was 
strength  on  the  knot.  Many  twines  with  sufficient  tensile  strength  cut 
or  break  easily  on  the  knot,  which  renders  them  unfit  for  binder  twine. 

William  Deering  was  one  of  the  first  to  make  thorough  field  ex- 
periments with  the  twine  binder,  and  during  the  harvest  season  of 
1879  he  operated  with  considerable  success  a  few  Appleby  binders. 
The  question  of  twine  suitable  to  do  this  work  was  found  to  be  most 
difficult  of  solution;  notwithstanding  which,  Mr.  Deering  had  such 
faith  in  the  new  invention  that  he  undertook  the  manufacture  of  three 
thousand  twine  binders  for  the  harvest  of  1880.  He  immediately 
gave  the  problem  of  securing  suitable  twine  his  close,  personal  atten- 
tion. Among  other  experiments  he  untwisted  a  manila  rope  and  used 
the  strands,  and  became  convinced  that,  if  these  rope  yarns  could  be 
spun  small  enough,  a  successful  binder  twine  would  be  the  result 
He  approached  several  ropemakers,  who  promptly  turned  him  down. 
Finally  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  visited  one  of  the  leading  cordage 
factories  where  large  quantities  of  wrapping  twine  and  other  coarse 
cords  were  made,  and  tried  to  induce  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Bailey,  to  make 
some  experiments  with  manila  fibre.  This  Mr.  Bailey  refused  to  do, 


but  stated  that  Edwin  H.  Fitler,  who  owned  a  large  rope  factory  in 
Philadelphia,  was  better  equipped  to  make  this  experiment  than  any- 
one else  with  whom  he  was  acquainted.  Acting  on  this  suggestion, 
Mr.  Deering  visited  Mr.  Fitler,  who,  by  the  way,  was  for  several 
terms  mayor  of  Philadelphia,  and  who  was  a  very  keen  and  success- 
ful business  man.  Mr.  Fitler  was  disinclined  to  make  any  experiments, 
stating  that  rope  yarn  as  they  were  making  it  ran  only  300  feet  to  the 
pound  and  that  it  was  practically  impossible  to  spin  it  down  to  700 
feet  to  the  pound,  which  was  the  size  Mr.  Deering  required.  How- 
ever, upon  learning  that  if  the  experiment  proved  successful,  Mr. 
Deering  would  place  an  immediate  order  with  him  for  a  number  of 
carloads,  Mr.  Fitler,  with  his  usual  business  acumen,  recognized  the 
possibility  of  increasing  his  business  and  immediately  entered  into  an 
arrangement  with  Mr.  Deering.  He  promptly  began  making  adjust- 
ments on  his  preparation  and  spinning  machinery  and  quickly  pro- 
duced an  article  which  in  the  tests  at  the  Deering  factory  proved  the 
superior  qualities  of  this  type  of  twine.  A  large  order  was  executed, 
and  that  was  the  beginning  of  a  business  which  in  thirty  years  has 
grown  to  300,000,000  pounds  annually,  valued  at  $20,000,000.00. 

The  knowledge  of  Filler's  success  spread  rapidly,  and  nearly  all 
manufacturers  of  hard  fibre  rope  began  the  manufacture  of  binder 
twine,  and  finally  some  large  mills  were  built  and  equipped  solely 
for  the  production  of  binder  twine. 

The  early  success  of  Fitler,  f ollowed  by  other  rope  manufacturers, 
was  possible  for  the  reason  that  practically  the  same  method  of  prepara- 
tion and  same  kind  of  spinning  machinery  were  used  then  as  now. 
Rope  of  good  quality  was  produced  at  that  time,  but  previous  to  the 
binder  twine  era  no  effort  had  been  made  to  spin  the  yarns  fine  or  to 
make  them  absolutely  uniform.  The  twisting  of  several  strands  into  a 
rope  made  absolute  uniformity  of  the  individual  yarns  unnecessary. 
The  cordage  manufacturers  at  that  time  also  had  balling  machines 
which  were  practically  identical  with  those  now  used,  and  wrapping 
and  other  commercial  twines  were  put  up  in  balls  like  the  balls  of 
binder  twine  to-day.  These  points  are  mentioned  simply  to  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  cordage  manufacturers  of  1 880  were  only 
compelled  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  new  product.  There  was  no 
necessity  for  radical  changes  in  their  mechanical  equipment. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the  young  man  who  was  con- 
ducting field  experiments  for  Mr.  Deering  at  that  time  was  no  other 


than  J.  F.  Steward,  now  expert  of  the  I  H  C  patent  department.  In 
the  first  days  of  the  harvest  of  1 880,  Mr.  Steward  was  in  Texas,  and 
while  toiling  in  the  broiling  sun  in  an  attempt  to  make  a  twine  binder 
work  successfully  with  a  very  poor  article  of  hemp  twine,  he  received 
the  first  ball  of  the  manila  twine  made  by  Fitler.  This  ball  of  manila 
twine  worked  perfectly,  and  turned  a  difficult  and  more  or  less  dis- 
appointing experiment  into  a  pleasurable  success.  Mr.  Steward  at 
the  earliest  opportunity  rushed  to  a  telegraph  office  and  sent  Mr. 
Deering  a  characteristic  and  laconic  message,  "  Manila  splendid." 

Manila  fibre  at  this  time  commanded  a  high  price,  and  sisal, 
which  had  begun  to  attract  the  attention  of  rope  makers,  was  much 
cheaper.  Early  in  the  history  of  binder  twine,  sisal  was  mixed  with 
manila  in  about  equal  proportions  and  a  very  satisfactory  binder 
twine  running  about  600  feet  to  the  pound  was  produced.  Finally 
some  experiments  were  made  with  sisal  alone,  which,  in  consequence 
of  the  equipment  and  adjustment  of  machines  then  in  use,  were  not 
in  the  beginning  very  successful,  as  sisal  fibre  was  much  shorter  than 
the  manila  for  which  the  machines  were  originally  constructed.  How- 
ever, minor  changes  in  construction  and  adjustment  of  the  machinery 
followed,  and  the  result  was  a  perfect  binder  twine  from  sisal  fibre. 
The  use  of  manila,  however,  has  never  been  abandoned,  and  in  some 
years  when  prices  are  favorable,  a  considerable  quantity  of  pure 
manila  and  mixed  manila  twines  is  used. 

While  the  great  bulk  of  the  binder  twine  of  recent  years  has  been 
made  from  sisal  and  manila,  there  have  been  other  fibres  used  suc- 
cessfully; usually,  however,  in  connection  with  larger  proportions  of 
sisal  or  manila.  New  Zealand  fibre,  either  in  a  mixture  or  used  ex- 
clusively, makes  a  satisfactory  twine,  but  it  does  not  possess  the  lasting 
qualities  found  in  the  two  principal  fibres.  Twine  made  from  New 
Zealand  fibre  does  not  retain  its  strength  if  kept  for  a  period  of  years, 
while  sisal  or  manila  twines  do  not  deteriorate  perceptibly  for  a  long 
time.  Manila  maguey,  mauritius,  and  istle,  together  with  some  other 
varieties  of  hard  fibre,  have  been  used  to  a  limited  extent  with  fair 
success.  Fairly  good  working  twine  has  been  made  from  a  mixture 
of  jute  and  American  hemp.  A  perfect  working  twine  has  been 
made  from  flax,  but  here  again  uniformity  of  product  has  been  found 
very  difficult,  and  with  the  increasing  production  of  sisal  and  manila, 
and  the  lower  prices  which  follow  increased  production,  the  percent- 
age of  binder  twine  made  from  other  fibres  is  not  important. 


SISAL  FIBRE 

The  plant  from  which  sisal  fibre  is  produced  is  known  in  Yucatan 
as  henequen.  It  is  one  of  the  numerous  species  of  agave,  many  varie- 
ties of  which  are  found  in  tropical  countries,  and  which  when  trans- 
planted to  our  greenhouses  and  conservatories  in  the  North  are  usually 
called  century  plants.  It  would  appear  from  careful  investigation 
that  the  variation  in  agave  plants  is  mainly  attributable  to  differences 
of  soil  and  climate.  Yucatan  furnishes  the  most  ideal  conditions  for 
plants  of  this  nature,  existing  and  flourishing  as  they  do  largely  on 
air  and  moisture  in  the  atmosphere,  and  not  being  dependent  upon 
rich  soil.  While  all  of  the  agave  plants  contain  fibre,  only  a  few  are 
capable  of  successful  cultivation.  It  can  be  stated  as  a  general  rule 
that  plants  which  grow  slowly  contain  a  fibre  superior  in  quality  to 
that  found  in  plants  of  rapid  growth.  It  is  also  essential  that  the 
leaves  contain  enough  moist  pulp  to  permit  the  easy  extraction  of  the 
fibre,  which  is  very  difficult  where  the  leaves  are  thin  and  dry,  and  the 
pulp  of  an  adhesive  nature.  It  very  frequently  happens  that  plants 
closely  resembling  sisal  are  found  in  large  numbers  in  different  tropical 
countries,  surrounded  by  conditions  which  would  indicate  the  proba- 
bility of  satisfactory  results  from  cultivation.  However,  after  careful 
experiments  running  through  a  series  of  years  it  is  frequently  found 
that  the  plants  grow  too  rapidly,  mature  quickly,  and  die  while  still 
comparatively  young,  thereby  producing  fibre  of  inferior  quality  and 
necessitating  the  frequent  renewal  of  plants,  which  is  expensive  and 
renders  the  business  unprofitable.  There  are  immense  tracts  of 
unimproved  land  in  the  tropics,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  at  some 
time  in  the  future  sisal  will  be  successfully  produced  at  some  point 
outside  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan,  but  that  country  now  produces  a 
very  large  proportion  of  all  the  fibre  of  that  class  that  reaches  our 
markets. 

The  northern  part  of  the  peninsula  is  a  flat,  low  country  barely 
twenty-five  feet  above  sea  level,  and  is  a  solid  ledge  of  lime  rock, 
originally  of  coral  formation.  There  is  only  a  limited  amount  of  soil 
on  the  surface  of  this  lime  rock,  probably  little  more  than  half  the 
surface  being  covered  with  soil.  In  its  natural  condition  the  whole 
surface  is  covered  with  a  jungle  growth  of  tropical  woods  and  plants 
ranging  in  height  from  ten  to  thirty  feet.  This  jungle  is  cut  and  the 

8 


wood  burned  in  order  to  prepare  the  land  for  planting.  After  the 
land  is  cleared,  sisal  plants  of  about  two  years*  growth,  previously 
started  in  the  nurseries,  are  set  out  in  rows  eight  feet  apart,  which  will 
give  about  one  thousand  plants  to  the  acre.  There  is  no  further 
cultivation  necessary  except  the  occasional  cutting  of  the  under- 
growth, which  is  done  with  the  machete,  a  large  knife  with  a  straight 
blade  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches  in  length.  While  the 
plants  are  young  this  undergrowth  is  usually  cut  twice  each  year. 
After  the  plants  are  mature  one  cutting  each  year  is  sufficient.  It 
requires  from  five  to  seven  years  for  these  plants  to  mature  after  having 
been  set  out  in  the  plantation,  so  that  the  man  opening  a  new 
plantation  must  be  possessed  of  a  good  deal  of  patience  as  well  as 
a  means  of  support  for  a  considerable  period  of  time.  When  the 
plants  reach  maturity  the  cutting  of  leaves  begins.  Only  the  under  or 
mature  leaves  are  taken.  It  is  possible  to  cut  from  twelve  to  twenty 
leaves  from  each  plant.  The  leaves  average  a  little  less  than  two 
pounds  in  weight.  Usually  from  3  to  3/^  per  cent  of  market- 
able fibre,  or  about  one  ounce,  is  secured  from  an  average  leaf, 
making  an  average  of  perhaps  one  pound  from  each  plant,  or  one 
thousand  pounds  from  an  acre.  This  is  the  result  of  a  year's  opera- 
tions. 

There  is  no  particular  season  when  leaves  are  harvested;  on 
the  contrary,  leaves  are  cut  every  week  in  the  year.  Usually  the 
manager  starts  on  one  side  of  his  plantation  and  gradually  works 
across,  timing  his  work  so  that  some  of  his  plants  are  always  ready 
for  cutting.  Each  leaf  is  handled  individually,  being  first  cut  from 
the  plant,  then  the  spines  removed  from  the  edge  of  the  leaf,  then 
the  leaves  packed  in  bundles  of  about  fifty  and  carried  to  the  edge  of 
the  plantation  or  to  the  nearest  tramway.  From  there  they  are  con- 
veyed to  the  cleaning  plant,  which  is  centrally  located  on  each  plan- 
tation. The  leaves  are  put  through  the  cleaning  machine  at  the  rate 
of  about  three  thousand  per  hour.  The  fibre,  after  it  leaves  the 
machine,  is  carried  into  the  drying  yards  and  is  spread  on  galvanized 
wire  where  it  dries  and  bleaches  in  the  sun,  after  which  it  is  gathered 
and  taken  into  the  warehouse  where  it  is  pressed  into  bales  in  the 
same  form  in  which  it  reaches  the  mills.  The  various  operations 
have  been  so  frequently  described  that  we  do  not  go  into  them  in 
detail,  but  call  attention  to  the  immense  amount  of  labor  required  to 
produce  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  fibre.  This  can  be  profit- 

9 


Cutting  the  Sisal  Leaves 


Loading  Sisal  Leaves  on  a  Tram  Car 
10 


ably  accomplished  only  in  countries  where  living  is  simple  and 
cheap  and  where,  consequently,  labor  is  not  expensive.  In  this 
connection,  however,  it  is  only  fair  to  state  that  the  cost  of  labor  has 
doubled  in  Yucatan  during  the  last  ten  years.  The  population  is  not 
great  and  climatic  conditions  are  not  specially  attractive  to  immigra- 
tion; consequently  the  supply  of  labor  is  limited,  and  the  natural 
competition  among  planters  to  increase  the  size  of  their  henequen 
fields  has  resulted  in  every  laborer  being  employed,  and  at  increased, 
wages. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  something  concerning  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  people  who  form  the  principal  laboring  element 
of  Yucatan.  They  are  Maya  Indians  and  are  the  descendants  of  an 
aboriginal  race  which  has  left  behind  it  proof  of  a  higher  type  of 
civilization  than  was  found  in  other  parts  of  the  western  hemisphere 
(possibly  in  making  this  statement  regarding  the  ancient  Mayas  an 
exception  should  be  made  of  the  Inca  Indians  found  in  the  Andes 
mountains  of  South  America,  although  the  latter  did  not  possess  the 
architectural  ability  of  the  Mayas).  Yucatan  possesses  many  ruined 
cities  which  students  declare  to  have  been  in  existence  for  at  least  two 
thousand  years,  some  of  the  buildings  being  nearly  intact  and  show- 
ing beauty  of  design  and  accuracy  of  finish  of  a  very  high  order. 
Just  why  this  ancient  people  became  decimated  and  cities  abandoned 
is  not  positively  known.  Legends  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation  seem  to  indicate  that  at  the  height  of  their  development 
they  became  the  victims  of  internal  dissensions  and  rival  cities  and 
tribes  warred  on  one  another  until  the  race  was  nearly  extinct. 

The  present  natives  are  amiable,  cleanly,  industrious,  and  capable. 
Although  rather  undersized,  they  are  well  formed  and  very  powerful. 
They  are  trustworthy  and  faithful,  and  perform  the  labor  required  in 
that  country  better,  perhaps,  than  any  other  workmen  who  could 
be  employed.  Notwithstanding  some  of  the  magazine  articles 
written  on  the  subject,  there  is  nothing  in  the  nature  of  slavery  in 
Yucatan.  Every  man  is  free  and  receives  his  pay  as  regularly  as  the 
workmen  in  the  American  factories.  The  plantations  are  usually 
large,  and  in  consequence  of  their  size,  somewhat  isolated.  A  planta- 
tion consists  of  several  thousand  acres  of  land,  only  a  part  of  which  is 
cultivated.  The  buildings  are  usually  in  the  center  of  the  plantation. 
On  the  larger  plantations  there  are  several  hundred  families  of  natives. 
Each  family  has  a  small  house,  the  workmen's  houses  usually  being 

11 


F 


-j 


Hauling  Sisal  Leaves  to  the  Decorticating  Mill 


Exterior  View  of  Decorticating  Mill 
12 


clustered  about  the  main  structures.  The  plantation  always  contains  a 
church,  and  there  is  a  resident  physician  employed  by  the  plantation 
owner. 

Usually  the  manager  of  the  plantation  is  the  local  magistrate,  and 
this  clothes  him  with  authority,  which  all  will  recognize  as  necessary 
in  order  to  preserve  discipline  in  a  community  of  several  hundred 
people.  Each  workman  is  usually  given  one  day  off  during  each 
week.  He  frequently  utilizes  this  day  for  taking  care  of  his  little 
garden  patch,  where  he  raises  corn,  beans  and  other  vegetables.  The 
planter  permits  each  family  to  have  its  own  plot  of  ground  and  to 
raise  its  own  food.  The  houses  furnished  by  the  planter  are  usually 
made  of  stone,  often  with  tile  roofs,  and  are  superior  in  every  respect 
to  the  huts  which  the  natives  build  for  themselves  when  they  are  not 
employed  on  the  big  plantations.  After  extensive  traveling  through 
the  fibre  plantations  of  Yucatan,  one  is  convinced  that  these  workmen 
are  better  housed,  better  clothed,  better  fed,  more  cleanly,  and  are 
treated  with  greater  consideration  than  the  negroes  in  the  southern 
part  of  our  own  country.  There  is  a  law  which  prevents  a  workman 
from  leaving  his  employer  while  in  debt,  and  it  may  be  possible  that 
at  times  this  law  is  construed  and  the  conditions  manipulated  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  workman,  but  such  cases  are  rare,  and  there  is 
usually  the  very  best  of  relations  between  the  workmen  and  their 
managers.  Suitable  laws  and  their  proper  enforcement  must  be 
determined  by  the  mental,  moral,  and  physical  condition  of  the 
governed. 

The  population  of  Yucatan,  other  than  the  natives  above  referred 
to,  consists  largely  of  people  of  Spanish  descent,  many  families  trac- 
ing their  ancestry  back  to  the  conquest  three  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago.  While  there  is  a  sprinkling  of  English,  German  and  perhaps 
other  European  races,  the  Spanish  type  prevails.  As  the  country  has 
developed  only  one  important  resource  —  sisal — there  has  not  been 
the  rapid  development  nor  the  accumulation  of  great  fortunes  which 
has  been  witnessed  in  the  United  States.  It  is  true  that  the  owners 
of  large  plantations  have  acquired  a  reasonable  competence  and  are 
living  in  comfort.  They  educate  their  children,  and  in  many  instances 
send  them  to  Europe  or  to  the  United  States  in  order  to  give  them  the 
benefit  of  a  wider  culture.  They  build  comfortable  homes  and  fur- 
nish them  very  much  as  the  well-to-do  American  furnishes  his.  They 
are  people  of  intelligence  and  refinement,  who  take  life  earnestly  and 

13 


Feeding  Sisal  Leaves  into  the  Decorticator 


Fibre  Coming  from  the  Decorticator 
14 


who  are  loyal  to  their  country,  remaining  in  Yucatan  and  improving 
their  property  after  becoming  financially  independent.  They  put 
back  on  the  plantations  a  large  part  of  the  money,  which  the  pro- 
duction of  fibre  yields.  The  plantation  buildings  are  substantial  and 
attractive.  The  best  of  machinery  has  been  purchased  and  installed 
in  their  cleaning  and  pressing  plants.  Thousands  of  miles  of  narrow- 
gauge  tramways  have  been  laid  through  the  plantations,  making  the 
transportation  of  leaves  economical.  Everything  has  been  done  to 
get  the  largest  possible  results  from  the  limited  amount  of  labor  at 
their  command.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  not 
more  than  20  per  cent  of  the  best  fibre-producing  lands  of  Yucatan 
are  cultivated,  the  scarcity  of  labor  being  the  reason.  The  planters 
are  almost  universally  men  of  a  high  type,  hospitable  and  courteous 
to  an  exte*nt  seldom  found  outside  the  Latin  countries. 


, 

'••'•* 

J 


Drying  Sisal  Fibre 


Bales  of  Sisal  Fibre 


15 


Loading  Sisal  Fibre  at  Progreso,  Yucatan 
16 


MANILA  FIBRE 

The  manila  fibre  of  commerce  is  the  product  of  a  plant  or  tree 
known  to  the  scientist  as  musa  textilis,  but  called  abaca  by  the  natives 
of  the  Philippine  Islands,  which  country  alone  produces  this  plant. 
Efforts  to  cultivate  it  in  other  countries  have  so  far  failed.  It  is  there- 
fore evident  that  we  must  continue  to  look  to  our  island  possessions 
for  the  necessary  supplies  of  this  fibre,  which  is  most  important  in  the 
manufacture  of  rope  and  many  other  forms  of  cordage. 

The  manila  plant  is  identical  in  general  appearance  with  the 
banana  tree.  The  trunk  consists  of  a  cluster  of  from  twelve  to  twenty 
sheathing  leaf-stalks  which  spread  out  into  a  crown  of  huge  leaves, 
rising  to  a  height  of  from  12  to  25  feet.  These  leaf-stalks  over- 
lap each  other  and  grow  together  tightly  so  as  to  give  the  appear- 
ance of  a  solid  trunk  from  six  to  twelve  feet  in  height.  It  is 
from  these  stalks  or  layers  that  the  fibre  is  extracted,  and  not,  as 
many  have  supposed,  from  the  long  leaves,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
sisal  plant. 

About  four  years  are  required  for  the  mature  growth  of  manila 
plants  from  the  time  the  suckers  or  young  shoots  are  set  out  in  the 
plantation.  Before  the  plant  reaches  maturity  other  shoots  spring  up 
from  the  root  of  the  original  plant,  so  that  after  the  mature  plant  has 
been  cut  it  will  be  only  a  few  months  until  the  oldest  shoot  is  also 
mature. 

Soil  which  is  largely  composed  of  volcanic  ash  appears  to  be  the 
natural  home  of  the  manila  plant;  in  fact,  it  does  not  thrive  outside  the 
volcanic  zone.  The  plant  requires  plenty  of  rain,  but  must  be  grown 
in  a  soil  where  the  drainage  is  good,  and  it  is,  therefore,  cultivated 
with  the  greatest  success  on  the  sides  of  mountains  and  hills.  While 
there  are  a  few  large  manila  plantations,  the  great  bulk  of  this  fibre  is 
produced  from  small  parcels  of  ground  cleared  out  of  the  jungle, 
frequently  containing  only  five  or  six  acres,  and  sometimes  even  less. 
The  land  is  largely  owned  by  wealthy  merchants  who  arrange  with 
the  natives  to  work  these  small  tracts  of  abaca;  thus,  one  man  may 
have  a  large  number  of  these  small  fields  of  cultivated  ground.  This 
small  field  is  called  a  late  (lat-ta).  The  native  usually  takes  care  of  the 
late  and  strips  the  fibre  "on  shares,"  receiving  one-half  of  what  he 
produces.  The  work  is  done  in  a  very  crude  manner  and  with  tools 

17 


Cutting  Down  a  Manila  Plant 


Removing  Layers  from  a  Manila  Plant 
IP 


of  the  most  primitive  sort.  The  principal  item  of  equipment  is  a 
heavy  steel  knife  from  twelve  to  sixteen  inches  in  length,  exclusive  of 
the  handle,  fitted  with  a  wooden  handle  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
inches  in  length.  The  handle  acts  as  a  lever  and  is  fitted  into  a 
fulcrum  at  the  inner  end  of  the  handle  near  where  it  connects  with 
the  steel  knife.  A  piece  of  very  hard  mahogany  wood  is  made  to 
exactly  fit  the  edge  of  the  knife.  This  block  is  placed  on  the  top  of  a 
convenient  log  or  section  of  a  large  bamboo  tree.  To  this  same  log  is 
fastened  the  fulcrum  in  which  the  knife  is  operated.  Sometimes  this 
fulcrum  consists  of  two  stakes  driven  on  either  side  of  the  log  and 
tied  together  with  thongs  of  rattan,  which  grows  plentifully  in  the 
jungle.  The  edge  of  the  knife,  in  order  to  obtain  the  best  results,  should 
be  smooth.  However,  as  a  rule,  it  is  provided  with  small  notches  like 
saw-teeth.  The  natives  prefer  this  condition  of  the  knife  for  the 
reason  that  the  fibre  strips  more  easily.  The  edge  of  the  knife  is  held 
down  on  the  hardwood  block  by  a  spring  pole  which  is  connected 
with  the  outer  end  of  the  handle  by  a  string  or  thong,  the  amount  of 
tension  on  the  knife  being  regulated  by  the  size  of  the  pole  or  the 
extent  to  which  it  is  bent  when  the  connection  with  the  handle  is 
made. 

The  device  for  raising  the  knife  from  the  block  of  mahogany  in 
order  to  insert  a  layer  for  cleaning  is  very  simple.  Another  string, 
also  attached  to  the  outer  end  of  the  handle,  is  connected  with  a 
short  bamboo  pole,  one  end  of  which  lies  on  the  ground,  the  other 
being  suspended  a  few  inches  above  the  ground  by  this  last  named 
string.  When  the  operator  wishes  to  raise  the  knife  from  the  block 
he  steps  on  this  partially  suspended  pole,  which  acts  as  a  foot  lever  or 
treadle.  When  released  by  the  operator's  foot,  the  knife  returns  to 
its  position  on  the  block,  and,  as  previously  described,  is  held  there 
by  a  large  spring  pole  which  is  swung  overhead. 

When  the  strip  or  layer  from  the  plant  is  drawn  under  the  knife 
only  the  fibre  is  pulled  through ;  the  pulp  and  skin  of  the  strip,  being 
scraped  loose  from  the  fibre,  fall  in  front  of  the  knife.  The  strip  is 
usually  held  more  easily  and  more  firmly  by  the  operator  by  the  use 
of  a  small,  short  stick  of  hardwood  or  bamboo,  around  which  the  strip 
is  wound.  In  order  to  clean  the  end  originally  held,  a  second  and 
reverse  movement  is  necessary  during  which  the  cleaned  ends  of  the 
fibre  are  held  in  the  same  manner. 

The  operator  places  the  cleaned  fibre  on  a  convenient  pole,  or 

19 


Device  Used  to  Remove  Fibre 
20 


sometimes  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree,  from  which  it  is  taken  by  the  women 
and  children  and  spread  out  on  bamboo  poles  in  an  open  spot  where 
the  sun  dries  the  fibre  in  a  few  hours.  The  product  of  each  day  is 
gathered  up  toward  night  and  twisted  into  convenient  hanks  and 
placed  under  cover. 

The  work  of  cutting  the  plants,  separating  the  strips,  and  carrying 
the  strips  to  the  apparatus  above  described,  is  usually  performed  by 
the  workman's  wife  and  children,  who  also  spread  the  fibre  and 
gather  it  after  it  is  dried. 

Some  of  the  lates  are  so  located  that  the  fibre  stripper  goes  each 
morning  from  his  hut  in  the  village.  Frequently,  however,  the  dis- 
tance to  the  Iat6  is  so  great  that  the  fibre  stripper  and  his  family  leave 
the  village  and  remain  in  the  lat£  for  two,  three,  or  four  days  at  a  time. 
They  improvise  temporary  shelter  from  branches  of  palm  trees  and 
the  leaves  of  the  manila  plant,  and  seem  to  live  about  as  comfortably 
under  those  circumstances  as  the  ordinary  American  does  when  in 
camp  during  a  summer  vacation. 

The  stripping  apparatus  is  so  simple  that  the  operator  carries  to 
the  lat£  only  his  stripping  knife  and  the  hardwood  block  which  is  fitted 
to  the  blade.  With  his  machete  or  bolo  he  very  quickly  installs  the 
knife  and  block  and  is  ready  to  begin  stripping.  Under  the  conditions 
described,  the  equipment  is  so  easily  moved  that  only  a  small  number 
of  trees  are  cleaned  on  one  spot.  Another  reason  for  frequently 
changing  location  is  the  rapid  accumulation  of  the  refuse  from  the 
stripping,  the  cleaned  and  dried  fibre  representing  only  from  one  to 
two  per  cent  of  the  weight  of  the  trunk  which  is  stripped.  The 
average  day's  work  of  an  expert  stripper  is  about  twenty-five  pounds. 

The  best  quality  of  fibre  is  produced  by  stripping  the  same  day 
the  plants  are  cut.  If  the  plants  or  the  separated  layers  are  permitted 
to  lie  for  any  considerable  time  after  being  cut,  fermentation,  the 
beginning  of  decomposition,  takes  place,  and  this  is  a  distinct  injury 
not  only  to  the  color  but  also  to  the  strength  of  the  fibre. 

Possibly  the  reader,  after  considering  the  crude  methods  followed 
in  the  production  of  this  important  article  of  commerce,  resulting  as  it 
does  in  a  business  of  from  $1 5,000,000  to  $20,000,000  (gold)  annually, 
may  wonder  why  machinery  has  not  been  introduced  for  stripping 
this  fibre.  Large  prizes  and  bounties  have  been  offered  to  the  inventor 
who  would  first  produce  a  successful  fibre-cleaning  machine.  Many 
attempts  have  been  made,  and  while  some  machines  have  given 

21 


Drying  Manila  Fibre— Notice  the  Length 


Bringing  Fibre  Down  from  the  Mountains 
22 


considerable  promise,  none  has  reached  a  point  where  general  intro- 
duction is  possible.  The  great  difficulty  seems  to  be  in  the  lack  of 
uniformity  of  the  texture  of  the  fibre  itself,  and  of  the  layers  from 
•which  it  is  extracted;  and  no  machine  yet  produced  has  the  delicate 
sensitiveness  of  the  human  hand  to  adjust  itself  to  the  varying  con^ 
ditions.  It  may  interest  the  reader  to  study  for  a  little  time  the  char- 
acter and  surrounding  conditions  of  the  fibre  stripper.  As  a  rule,  he  is 
possessed  of  a  kindly  nature  and  a  cheerful  disposition;  is  fairly  tem- 
perate, and  not  particularly-  indolent  when  his  necessities  are  taken 
into  consideration.  At  maturity  he  usually  marries  and  nearly  always 
lives  happily  with  his  wife  during  their  lifetime.  They  raise  a  family 
of  children,  and  there  appears  to  be  a  very  strong  family  affection. 
The  man  is  neither  cruel  nor  arbitrary.  At  the  beginning  of  his 
domestic  career  he  proceeds  immediately  to  build  what,  in  that 
country,  is  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  dwelling.  His  wants  are  few.  A 
small  amount  of  cotton  cloth  provides  clothing  for  the  entire  family. 
In  many  instances  the  women  manufacture  fabrics  from  which  a  large 
part  of  their  clothing  is  made.  These  fabrics  are  made  from  either 
very  fine  manila  fibres,  or  from  the  fibre  of  the  pineapple  plant 
Consequently  the  expense  for  clothing  is  very  slight. 

The  food  consists  principally  of  fish,  which  is  very  abundant  and 
costs  nothing;  and  rice,  which  in  most  cases  the  fibre  stripper  is  com- 
pelled to  buy,  as  very  little  rice  is  produced  in  those  sections  of  the 
country  where  fibre  grows.  The  meat  which  they  consume  is  largely 
chicken  and  pork,  which  they  themselves  raise,  although  these  two 
articles  are  considered  a  luxury,  and  are  not  very  frequently  indulged 
in.  Fruit  is  used  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  that  is  always  at  hand. 

This  simple  life  makes  it  possible  for  the  fibre  stripper  to  secure 
for  himself  and  his  family  everything  which  he  desires  by  laboring 
three  or  four  days  each  week.  Consequently  he  does  not  exert  him- 
self to  "lay  up  something  for  a  rainy  day,"  which  in  his  case  seldom 
or  never  comes. 


Filipino  Cart  and  Water  Buffalo 
24 


A  FEW  FACTS  ABOUT  TWINE 

In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  been  told  how  the  fibres  for 
manufacturing  binder  twine  are  obtained,  and  the  following  pages 
will  be  devoted  to  the  finished  product,  the  twine  itself.  The  rapid 
increase  in  the  use  of  the  twine  binder  soon  created  a  demand  for 
sisal  and  manila  twines  far  in  excess  of  the  surplus  capacity  of  the 
cordage  factories  where  the  first  binder  twine  was  made,  and  the  in- 
ability of  the  binder  manufacturers  to  secure  binder  twine  in  sufficient 
quantities,  at  the  proper  time,  and  of  the  right  quality,  became  a 
serious  draw-back  to  the  progress  of  the  twine  binder  industry. 
They  were,  therefore,  brought  face  to  face  with  the  problem  of  either 
providing  for  a  larger  supply  of  better  and  cheaper  twine,  or  seeing 
their  already  established  binder  business  seriously  handicapped,  and 
thus  they  were  forcibly  brought  to  consider  the  question  of  manufac- 
turing their  own  binder  twine. 

To  do  this  required  the  spending  of  large  amounts  of  money  in 
factory  buildings  and  expensive  machinery.  Practically  all  the 
machinery  at  that  time  had  to  be  imported  from  abroad,  and  this,  to- 
gether with  the  fact  that  the  season  for  using  twine  covered  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  year,  which  made  it  necessary  to  purchase,  pay 
for,  and  manufacture  large  stocks  of  fibre  into  twine  several  months 
in  advance  of  the  time  that  it  could  be  disposed  of,  made  the 
proposition  one  which  involved  large  expenditures  of  money  with  very 
little  prospect  of  satisfactory,  direct  returns.  The  purpose  being  to 
encourage  and  stimulate  the  use  of  twine  binders  by  furnishing  good, 
cheap  twine,  even  though  it  had  to  be  manufactured  and  sold  at  very 
little  or  no  profit,  the  investment  of  money  in  the  twine  industry  by 
the  harvester  companies  was  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  necessity 
rather  than  one  of  profit. 

The  first  harvester  company  to  build  a  mill  for  the  manufacturing 
of  binder  twine  was  William  Deering  &  Company,  this  mill  being 
built  in  1 886.  From  this  starts  the  history  of  the  manufacturing  of 
binder  twine  by  the  harvester  companies,  who  within  the  next  few 
years,  nearly  all  found  it  necessary  to  follow  the  same  course  as  a 
matter  of  self-preservation.  They  knew  that  the  future  of  the  twine 
binder  depended  largely  on  their  ability  to  supply  the  purchasers 
with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  suitable  twine  at  a  reasonable  price. 

25 


Storing  Fibre  in  the  Warehouse 


Inspecting  the  Fibre  at  the  Warehouse 
26 


When  the  harvester  companies  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
twine,  it  was  done  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  insure  the  success  of 
their  binder  business  which  was  already  established;  therefore,  the 
question  of  the  highest  possible  quality  was  their  first  consideration. 

It  was  well  known  by  the  users  of  twine  that  some  fibres  were 
more  suitable  for  binder  twine  purposes  than  others,  but  the  question 
as  to  just  what  available  fibers  were  best  suited  had  never  been 
definitely  settled,  and  this,  and  the  proper  kind  of  machinery  to  be 
installed,  were  some  of  the  first  problems  that  had  to  be  solved. 

It  was  soon  found  that  much  of  the  fibre  ordinarily  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  rope  and  commercial  twines  was  not  at  all  suited  for 
binder  twine  purposes,  due  to  the  variety  of  conditions  that  had  to  be 
met  by  the  new  product.  First,  it  had  to  be  strong  and  of  uniform 
size  so  as  to  work  satisfactorily  through  the  tensions,  on  the  knotter 
hook,  and  in  the  disk,  and  remain  soft  and  pliable  when  subjected  to 
treatment  met  when  shipped  and  stored  under  all  kinds  of  conditions. 
Second,  after  it  was  put  on  the  bundle  of  grain,  it  had  to  stand  the 
weather  exposure  for  quite  long  periods.  Third,  it  was  necessary 
that  it  be  immune  from  the  ravage  of  insects. 

In  the  early  years  manila  fibre  was  very  extensively  used 
for  this  purpose,  but  in  later  years  85  to  90  per  cent  of  the 
binder  twine  used  has  been  manufactured  from  sisal  fibre. 
The  reason  for  this  is  that  sisal  fibre  as  it  is  procured  on  the  market 
is  of  much  more  uniform  quality  than  manila;  that  is  to  say,  there  is 
very  little  variation  between  the  higher  and  lower  grades.  There- 
fore, twine  manufactured  from  sisal  fibre  can  be  depended  upon  to 
give  more  uniform  results  than  that  made  from  manila  of  low  grade. 
The  comparative  value  of  sisal  fibre  and  high  grade  manila  makes  it 
necessary  to  run  manila  twine  a  greater  number  of  feet  per  pound, 
and  consequently  of  smaller  size,  to  get  the  price  per  unit  of  length  to 
compare  favorably  with  that  of  sisal.  Therefore,  it  has  not,  as  a  gen- 
eral thing,  met  with  the  same  favor  from  the  user  as  the  shorter  and 
larger  twines. 

In  the  manufacture  of  fibre  into  twine,  the  first  operation  is  the 
selecting,  mixing,  and  grading  of  the  different  fibres.  This  part  of 
the  work  falls  to  the  inspection  department,  where  all  the  different 
shipments  of  fibre,  both  manila  and  sisal,  are  inspected  and  passed 
upon  as  they  are  received. 

Regular  sisal  and  standard  twine  is  manufactured  from  sisal  fibre, 

27 


Combing  the  Fibre— First  Process  Preparatory  to  Spinning 


Fibre  Passing  through  the  Drawing  Frame 


and  on  account  of  the  uniformity  of  this  kind  of  fibre,  the  inspecting 
and  mixing  is  comparatively  simple.  When  we  come  to  deal  with 
manila  fibres,  where  there  is  such  a  large  variety  of  grades  on  the 
market,  ranging  in  texture  from  a  very  fine,  soft,  and  tough  fibre  to 
that  so  coarse  and  brittle  as  to  resemble  fine  sticks,  and  ranging  in 
color  from  snow  white  to  black,  the  question  of  inspecting  becomes  a 
very  important  one,  as  the  low  grades  cannot  be  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  high  grade  twines. 

After  the  different  fibres  have  been  inspected  and  passed  upon 
by  the  inspection  department,  they  go  to  the  preparation  room  where 
the  opening  and  mixing  is  done.  The  fibre  is  then  put  through 
several  softening  and  combing  operations — the  number  depending 
upon  the  different  grades  of  fibre — which  soften,  comb,  and  form  the 
fibre  into  a  continuous  ribbon  called  a  sliver.  These  slivers  pass  from 
machine  to  machine  where  they  are  continually  doubled  up  and 
redrawn  until  they  form  a  well-worked,  continuous  sliver  of  prac- 
tically uniform  size. 

During  these  combing  and  drawing  operations,  the  fibre  is  care- 
fully watched  by  experienced  and  competent  operators.  All  the 
machinery  used  for  these  purposes  is  very  complicated  and  expensive. 

After  the  fibre  in  sliver  form  is  finished  in  the  preparation 
department,  it  goes  to  the  spinning  room  where  it  is  spun  into  twine. 
This  process  consists  of  combing,  drawing,  and  twisting  the  fibre  until 
it  is  formed  into  a  smooth,  even  twine.  While  passing  through  this 
process,  it  is  continually  watched  by  competent  operators,  and  any 
twine  found  to  be  of  a  defective  nature  is  promptly  rejected. 

The  spinning  machinery  on  which  this  work  is  done  is  also  of  a 
very  complicated  nature. 

As  the  twine  is  spun,  it  is  wound  on  bobbins  and  when  these  are 
full,  they  are  removed  from  the  spinning  machine  and  passed  into  the 
balling  room,  where  the  twine  is  wound  into  balls  (so  familiar  to  every 
user  of  binder  twine),  weighed,  inspected,  and  put  in  sacks  ready  for 
the  market. 

During  this  process,  the  operator  of  the  balling  machine  has  an 
opportunity  to  inspect  every  bobbin  of  twine  from  end  to  end  and 
reject  such  as  do  not  come  fully  up  to  standard. 

The  inspection  is  a  very  important  part  of  twine  manufacture. 
To  protect  the  reputation  of  the  binders  as  well  as  the  twine,  it  is 
necessary  that  not  only  the  finished  goods,  but  every  intermediate  step 

29 


One  of  the  Spinning  Rooms 


Balling  Machines  in  Operation 
30 


in  manufacturing  be  carefully  supervised  by  competent  inspectors. 
During  the  process  of  forming  the  fibre  into  sliver  and  of  spinning 
sliver  into  yarn,  every  step  is  carefully  inspected,  and  when  the 
twine  reaches  the  balling  room,  the  twine  on  each  bobbin  is  carefully 
inspected  by  the  operator  while  it  is  being  wound  into  a  ball,  and  the 
operator's  name  or  number  marked  on  the  back  of  the  tag.  In  case 
a  ball  should  develop  any  defects  in  the  field,  all  the  user  has  to  do  is 
to  return  the  tag  with  the  defective  twine  and  the  manufacturer  can 
immediately  locate  the  operator  responsible  for  letting  same  pass  out. 

After  the  balls  are  completed  and  weighed,  each  ball  is  carefully 
inspected  before  it  is  put  up  in  the  sack.  Each  sack  contains  a  slip  of 
paper  showing  the  number  or  name  of  the  man  who  passed  on  the 
bale  of  twine,  and  in  case  any  defect  occurs  in  the  bale,  all  the  con- 
sumer has  to  do  is  to  return  the  slip  and  one  of  the  tags  on  the  balls 
and  all  the  persons  responsible  for  allowing  the  bale  of  twine  to  pass 
out  can  be  located.  Trained  testers  are  continually  testing  and 
watching  the  work  as  it  is  being  done. 

The  ordinary  consumers  of  twine  who  use  from  50  to  500  pounds 
per  year  do  not  realize  the  importance  of  the  twine  industry  when 
compared  with  the  agricultural  implements  ordinarily  used  on  the 
farm,  until  they  are  unable  to  get  a  supply  of  this  article  in  the 
harvesting  time. 

If  no  harvesting  machines  were  manufactured  for  a  whole  year 
the  farming  community  would,  undoubtedly,  be  put  to  some  incon- 
venience, but  would  manage  to  get  along  with  no  serious  loss.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  supply  of  twine  for  one  harvest  were  suddenly 
to  be  cut  off,  it  would  mean  not  simply  a  national,  but  an  interna- 
tional calamity,  as  it  would  be  impossible  to  secure  help  enough  to 
gather  the  crops. 


Storing  Twine  at  the  Warehouse 


Delivering  a  Rush  Order 
32 


A  DAY  IN  A  TWINE  MILL 

By  A.  B.  T. 

I  am  a  ball  of  twine  —  one  of  ten  in  a  bale,  frankly  interested  in 
girls.  While  I  gasp  for  breath  in  this  tight  sack  on  which  my  latest 
lady  love  stamped  the  name  I  was  created  to  bear,  I  have  time  to 
reflect  on  the  marvelous  experiences  of  this  day. 

Some  one  else  may  tell  you  how  the  fibre  plants  grow  in  the  far- 
off  Philippine  Islands  and  on  the  plateaus  of  Yucatan,  I  shall  tell  you 

only  about  this  one  day  at  the  mill.  Early 
this  morning  I  was  dumped  from  a  freight 
car  to  the  unloading  platform  at  this  Works 
as  "raw  material."  The  husky  men  who 
seized  the  great  bales  of  fibre  of  which  I 
was  a  part,  carted  my  visible  bulk  to  a 
room  called  "  opening." 

Here  I  met  many  strong  men  who  cut 
my  clothes  and  rent  me  into  strands  while 
I  struggled  furiously  and  breathed  dust  and 

Picture  of  the  Author  vengeance  upon  them.     But  presently  my 

spirit  softened.    The  noise  I  heard  was  not 

of  battle  but  only  that  of  myriad  machines,  and  why  should  I  fuss 
myself  up  making  dust  when  great  fans  and  exhaust  pipes  were 
steadily  removing  it. 

In  the  next  room — "preparation"  it  is  named — I  met  the  first  girl 
I  was  to  know  in  America.  She  was  a  foreigner  like  myself  —  came 
from  far  away  Poland  but  a  week  earlier  than  my  advent  from  the 
Philippines.  With  many  other  strong  muscled,  stout  lunged  girls  she 
watched  me,  while  as  a  bunch  of  fibre,  I  was  fed  from  a  huge  pile 
opened  on  the  floor  into  a  funny  machine  with  rows  of  moving  teeth, 
each  row  like  a  big  comb,  maybe  twelve  feet  long,  and  high  over  the 
head  of  the  girl,  who  would  now  and  then  reach  with  a  long  iron  hook 
for  an  armful  of  this  whitish  yellow  moving  fibrous  mass.  A  man  had 
started  the  evolution  from  the  big  bale  where  it  was  heavy. 

I  "  chased  myself "  across  the  machine  to  see  the  girl  who  was 
waiting  to  tend  the  ends  of  the  strands  and  pile  into  cans  the  really 
beautiful  stream  into  which  I  had  evolved  after  being  combed. 
"  Looks  like  molasses  candy,"  a  visitor  said  to  the  girl  who  got  up 
from  her  seat  to  twist  me  a  little  and  change  the  cans  that  were  to 

33 


carry  me  and  my  relatives  to  the  spinning  room.  The  girl  -workers 
stood  around  or  sat  down  and  watched  me.  Although  I  could 
falk  with  the  girls,  I  noticed  the  men  in  the  rooms  were  not  so 

privileged  — they 
could  only  "  look 
pleasant." 

I  got  interested 
in  one  girl  who 
looked  especially 
happy,  and  listened 
to  her  description  of 
a  dance  she  had  tak- 
en part  in  the  night 
before  at  some  Com- 

A  Group  of  Pretty  Twine  Mill  Girls  on  one  of  their  Picnics  r>anv  club  house       It 

sounded  good  to  me  and  I  wanted  to  stay  right  there,  the  better 
to  hear  her  soft  voice  when  the  machinery  stopped,  so  I  snarled 
myself  all  up. 

No  use,  she  called  her  foreman  when  I  was  obstinate  and  wouldn't 
be  straightened  out,  and  he  sent  a  man  to  attend  to  me  and  the 
machine.  I  made  up  my  mind  there  wasn't  any  use  hanging  around, 
I  would  have  to  go  on,  so  I  was  glad  to  know  I  was  leaving  my  new 
girl  in  safe  hands.  They  tore  my  hair  so  much  by  constant  combing 
in  every  room,  that 
I  was  glad  to  see 
the  girls  all  had 
their  heads  covered 
safely  with  cotton 
caps — very  becom- 
ing to  some  of  them 
and  protecting  the 
hair  from  dust  as 
well  as  saving  them 
from  the  danger  of 
getting  loose  locks 
drawn  into  the  ma- 
chinery. I  know  something  about  styles,  so,  like  most  men,  I  noticed 
first  thing  how  the  girls  were  dressed.  Stout  aprons  and  cotton  waists 
usually,  and  always  close  sleeves.  No  flying  apron  strings  to  tease 

34 


A  Corner  of  the  Rest  Room  at  Deering  Twine  M 


the  mischievous  boys  and  to  catch  in  a  whirling  gear,  and  no  "rag- 
gedy" ends  of  sleeves  or  waist. 

Well,  thinks  I  to  myself,  I  wonder  if  the  girls  can  sew  and  mend 
a  torn  frock,  so  I  was  ready  to  listen  when  a  good,  sensible  looking 
woman  came  along,  just  as  I,  in  my  can,  was  being  loaded  on  a  truck 
and  sent  to  the  spinning  room.  Very  considerate  for  the  girls,  I 
thought,  for  the  men  to  do  all  the  heavy  lifting.  This  woman,  they 
called  her  the  matron,  seemed  to  know  everybody.  She  said  to  a 
girl,  "Will  you  be  over  to  the  cottage  to-night?  We  will  be  sewing 
on  dressing  sacques,  and  next  week  you  know  we  begin  skirts;"  and 
to  another,  "Come  to  the  nurse  at  noon;"  and  to  another,  "Have  you 
been  examined  for  membership  in  the  Benefit  Association?"  and 
to  another,  "Remember  what  I  told  you  about  the  rule  not  to  clean 
your  machine  when  it  is  in  motion.  We  will  have  to  make  you  guard 
yourself  against  accidents  by  discharging  you  if  you  disobey  again;" 
or  "When  shall  we  have  another  outing?"  1  learned  that  all  the 
women,  and  there  were  several  hundred,  belonged  to  this  Benefit 
Association  just  the  same  as  the  men,  and  if  they  fell  ill  they  could 
draw  half  pay,  and  if  hurt  either  at  work  or  at  play,  or  going  to  and 
from  their  homes,  that  little  half-pay  envelope  regularly  would  keep 
the  wolf  from  the  door  for  many  weeks. 

By  noon  in  my  evolution  from  "raw  material"  to  finished  pro- 
duct I  had  reached  the  spinning  department.  The  noise  was  appall- 
ing when  I  first  slipped  out  from  my  red  can,  and  as  I  looked  down 
the  long,  well-lighted  rooms,  I  saw  ever  so  many  girls,  but  they  didn't 
seem  to  mind  the  noise  at  all.  One  told  the  foreman  that  she  didn't 
hear  the  noise  after  two  or  three  days,  and  yet  I  noticed  they  were 
not  deaf,  for  they  heard  the  whistle  blow  for  lunch  and  responded 
promptly.  How  they  scattered  for  the  lunch  room!  Some  stopped 
in  a  big  wash  room  to  look  in  the  glass,  and  to  wash  their  hands  — 
plenty  of  hot  and  cold  water,  and  clean  towels,  and  sanitary  soap. 
They  didn't  stay  long  fixing  up,  for  they  were  hungry,  and  in  the  big 
lunch  room  the  girls  were  all  together  eating  the  lunch  brought  from 
home,  or  the  soup  or  meat  and  potatoes  bought  from  the  counter. 

A  pianola  played  jolly  tunes  and  after  the  luncheon  was  over  a 
number  of  the  girls  joined  in  dancing  for  a  few  minutes.  This  was 
their  own  party  —  the  men  had  to  eat  their  luncheon  in  a  separate 
room  or  at  a  bench  in  no  room  at  all,  according  to  their  notion.  It 
was  not  long  before  an  alarm  whistle  blew  and  they  scattered  up  and 

35 


Section  of  the  Lunch  Room  at  McCormick  Twine  Mills 


down  the  stairs  like  a  flock  of  eager  birds.  Hot  milk  for  a  penny 
or  two  at  noon  helps  out  a  lunch,  and  I  thought  the  girls  were  quite 
as  -well  off  as  their  associates,  the  men,  for  whom  coffee  was  provided 

but  beer  denied  in 
the  mill.  "Good 
business,"  a  visitor 
said,  and  I  guessed 
he  might  be  right. 
Back  from  lunch 
to  the  spinning 
room  and  the  eighty 
or  ninety  girls  who 
were  taking  care 
of  two  to  four  ma- 
chines each,  if  I 
understood  right.  A 
boy  wheeled  the 
cans  of  fibre  by  the 
machine  and  the 
girl  took  the  coil, 

only  two  or  three  inches  thick  now,  and  threaded  it  across  a  huge 
combing  machine  again,  and  before  I  knew  I  was  in  it,  I  had  slipped 
from  her  hand  and  was  winding  around  a  big  bobbin,  whirling  like 
mad  but  covered  .^ 
up  tight  by  a  sort  IIS- 
of  hood — a  guard, 
the  girls  called  it, 
so  that  if  the  bob- 
bin got  too  excited 
and  "flew  off  the 
handle"  it  couldn't 
hurt  the  girl  and 
she  was  safe  from 
getting  her  hands 
caught  in  what  they 
called  the  "flyer." 

The  girl  snatched  me  and  the  bobbin  off  the  rods  just  at  the 
right  moment,  "all  full,"  slipped  another  empty  bobbin  in  the  place 
and  then  she  walked  around  or  sat  down  where  she  could  watch  the 

36 


This  shows  how  effectively  the  Twine  Making  Machines  are  guarded 


At  the  Balling  Machine 


fibre  creeping  across  the  comb  and  then  having  hysterics  around  the 
bobbin.  Not  the  girl  having  hysterics — she  seemed  to  be  dreaming 
of  Poland,  or  sunny  Italy,  or  Dakota.  I  was  on  a  rack  by  the  side 

until  a  big  boy  came 
along  and  loaded  all 
of  the  full  bobbins  on 
a  truck  and  -wheeled 
us  away  to  the  bailers. 
More  girls  to  work 
at  my  life,  but  no  more 
combing — top  floor  of 
a  big  building  and 
twine  bobbins  and 
balls  everywhere,  a 
few  men  still  doing  the 
heavy  lifting  and  ever 
so  many  girls  "balling." 
It  was  not  so  noisy  here  and  I  could  hear  the  girls  saying  a  word  to  a 
neighbor  sometimes — not  always  in  English  but  often  in  the  language 
of  their  mother  country.  More  than  twenty  nations  have  in  one  way 
or  another  greeted  me  today  and  they  were  all  represented  by  the 
women — no  girls  under  sixteen,  nor  many  over  twenty-five.  The 
younger  age  cannot  be  employed  because  of  laws,  and  the  older  ones 
slip  away  because  of  loves.  They  get  married  and  go  to  housekeeping. 
All  this  1  learned  by  hearing  the  answers  to  questions  put  by  one 
they  called  "the  welfare  lady." 

But  listen  to  what  happened.  Just  as  I  thought  I  could  find  out 
about  a  new  "contraption"  put  on  the  machine  so  the  girl  could  pull 
the  ball  off  more  easily  without  bumping  it  up  with  her  knee — collap- 
sible spindle  it  was — suddenly  the  fire  whistle  sounded,  machinery 
at  once  shut  off,  employes  formed  in  lines,  single  and  double,  march- 
ing out  through  different  sections  in  accordance  with  signals  given  on 
air  whistles. 

There  was  no  fire  that  day.  Fire  Chief  Pollard,  without  notifying 
anybody,  had  the  signal  sounded  to  see  how  quickly  the  floor  could 
be  cleared,  and  whether  the  superintendent  might  feel  satisfied  that 
the  women  employes  were  really  so  well  drilled  that  their  safety  was 
absolutely  assured.  They  all  went  in  directions  in  accordance  with 
signals  sounded,  guided  by  one  of  the  staff  through  doors  which 

37 


would  lead  to  safety.  Men  were  stationed  at  the  firedoors  to  keep 
them  open  until  employes  passed  out.  Some  firemen  mounted  the 
hose,  others  the  extinguishers  and  other  fire  equipment  in  the  room. 

From  the  time  the  alarm  was  sounded  until  the  room  was  cleared 
of  all  employes,  the  time  was  fifty-four  seconds  as  shown  by  the  stop 
watch  in  the  chief's  hand.  There  must  have  been  one  hundred 
women  in  the  room  or  perhaps  more,  and  only  two  persons  knew 
whether  it  was  a  real  fire  or  a  drill. 

"How  often  are  these  given?"  was  asked  the  superintendent,  and 
the  answer  was,  "Usually  weekly." 

All  windows  are  balance  weighted  so  they  can  be  raised  immedi- 
ately, and  if  they  are  directed  to  such  an  exit,  the  girls  would  go  safely 
down  the  fire  escapes,  which  reach  to  the  ground. 

After  the  drill,  when  the  girls  were  notified  by  a  signal  that  the 
fire  was  over,  several  were  asked,  "Were  you  frightened?"  The  invari- 
able answer  was,  "Oh,  no,  we  know  what  to  do." 

There  was  a  fire  at  this  Works  once  where  a  girl  pulled  down 
the  hose  and  extinguished  the  fire.  One  day  there  was  a  fire  on  the 
first  floor  in  the  room  adjoining  the  girls,  and  they  worked  along, 
saying,  "Oh!  the  foreman  will  let  us  know  if  there  is  danger."  All 
the  floors  can  be  signaled  from  the  ground  floor. 

And  so  in  this  factory  where  the  material  is  of  an  inflammable 
nature,  the  fire  protection  is  as  it  should  be  —  of  the  highest  standard, 
and  the  human  element  is  never  for  one  instant  lost  sight  of.  Never 
in  the  history  of  the  International  Harvester  Company  has  an  employe 
lost  life  or  limb  from  fire,  so  I  heard  them  vouch. 

This  day  in  the  twine  mill,  where  a  large  proportion  of  the 
employes  are  non-English  speaking  people,  witnessing  the  exactness 


The  Fire  Department  at  Osborne  Twine  Mill 
38 


A  Weighing  and  Testing  Room 


with  which  they  obey  instructions,  shows  that  thef  lack  of  a  common 
tongue  is  no  bar  to  a  thorough  understanding  of  rules; f<>r  sakty. 

Back  from  the  fire  drill  I  came  to  my  truck  of  bobbins  and  was 

pushed  by  a  boy 
to  the  balling  ma- 
chines. Here  the 
girls  are  watching 
the  spindles  that 
unwind  from  the 
bobbins  and  reel 
round  and  round 
into  a  well  shaped 
ball.  Now,  I  have 
met  my  last  girl 
worker  today,  I 
thought,  as  Rosa 
snipped  off  my 
head  with  a  curved 
safety  knife  hanging  from  her  belt  by  a  cord,  and  balanced  me  on  the 
scales  to  see  if  I  was  right  weight.  But  another  busy  girl  was  waiting  to 
inspect  me  after  I  had  been  polished  off  in  a  sort  of  bucket  into  which 
she  slipped  me  and  it  was  my  luck  to  be  picked  out  to  go  to  the 
front  to  be  tested.  Another  girl  was  standing  before  a  wonderful 
machine  that  counted  and  weighed  too,  I  think,  and  before  I  knew 
that  I  was  "in  court  to  be  tried,"  she  -was  whirling  a  few  yards  of  my 
outside  coat  around  a  long  frame,  making  believe  I  was  working  at 
my  future  job  with  the  binder  in  the  harvest  field. 

That  girl  knew  I  was  a  good  ball  and  she  put  a  mark  on  my  side, 
and  I  was  passed  to  still  another  girl  to  be  refinished  or  covered  on 
account  of  my  outside  coat  being  damaged  in  this  medical  examina- 
tion by  the  tester. 

Back  again  to  my  neighbors  on  the  truck.  Another  girl  gave  us 
a  label  and  a  girl  by  the  window  stenciled  a  name  on  a  sack.  I 
don't  read  English,  being  only  a  ball,  and  I  don't  know  what  city  I 
am  in,  but  it  said  "Deering"  or  "McCormick,"  or  maybe  "Osborne," 
with  a  funny  little  mark,  ©,  and  "Manila,"  "Pure  Manila,"  "Sisal,"  or 
"Standard"  —  and  then  a  big  boy  crowded  me  into  the  sack. 

I'd  like  to  know  if  there  are  any  girls  who  work  better  than  these 
I  met  today  in  my  journey  through  the  twine  mill.  I  wouldn't  know 


39 


where  to  look  for  thein.  Although,  just  being  a  ball,  I  haven't  seen 
all  work^sKopSi  .1  fe£l  rather  proud  to  come  from  a  place  that  is 
sanitary  and  safe,  and"  where  those  who  work  for  a  living  may  also 

play  for  the  fun  of  it 
when  work  is  over. 
Just  being  a  ball, 
I  have  only  one 
chance  to  spend  a 
day  in  a  twine  mill, 
and  I  have  seen  only 
a  few  of  the  four 
hundred  girls  who 

The  Court  at  the  International  Twine  Plant  at  St.  Paul  belong  tO   the  Inter- 

national family  in  this  one  Works,  but  you  may  see  three  times  that 
number  or  more,  if  you  can  spend  several  days  and  go  to  all  the  Works. 
I  heard  something  about  a  visiting  nurse,  and  the  doctor,  and  a 
library,  but  I  didn't  see  them.  There  is  a  mysterious  place  called  "  the 
office,"  but  I  didn't  go  there.  If  a  man  is  to  be  promoted  or  dis- 
charged he  goes  there,  and  if  a  girl  leaves  to  get 
married  at  Easter,  she  goes  to  the  office  before 
pay  day  to  get  her  money.  The  office  people 
give  orders  and  hear  about  troubles,  and  I  think 
from  what  I  heard  today  that  there  is  what  you 
call  "heart"  in  this  office  as  well  as  some  power 
to  make  the  whole  machinery  go. 

Some  one  else  may  tell  how  many  bales  of 
fibre  have  been  worked  up  and  how  many  miles 
of  twine  manufactured — the  figures  are  beyond 
me  to  understand.  I  remember  only  the  faces 
and  the  hands  of  many  girls  who  have  helped 
this  day  to  perfect  me,  the  strong  arms  of  men 
who  have  carried  me  and  my  kindred  from  place 
to  place  in  that  marvelous  work  shop,  and  the 
steady  pulse  that  beats  from  "the  office." 

Now  I  must  go  on  to  those  other  people,  the 
Dealers  who  help  me  on  my  way,  and  the  Ulti- 
mate Consumer.  I  am  especially  interested  in 
these  last,  because  it  was  to  help  out  in  the  grain 
fields  that  I  started  on  my  long  journey. 

40 


THE  PURPOSE  OF  THIS 
BUREAU  IS  TO  FURNISH 
FREE  OF  CHARGE  TO  ALL.  THE 
BEST  INFORMATION  OBTAIN- 
ABLE  ON  BETTER  FARMING. 
IF  YOU  HAVE  ANY  WORTHY 
QUESTIONS  CONCERNING 
SOILS.  FARM  CROPS.  LAND 
DRAINAGE.  FERTILIZER. 
ETC..  MAKE  YOUR  INQUIRIES 
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TO  THE 

I  H  C  SERVICE  BUREAU 
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OVERDUE. 


NOV  151936 


MAY  6  1941 M 


JAN  1 8 1953  U! 


£ 

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